[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 45 (Monday, March 9, 2026)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 11191-11194]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-04526]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. FAA-2026-2292; Project Identifier MCAI-2024-00043-R]
RIN 2120-AA64
Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Helicopters
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
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SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD)
for all Airbus Helicopters Model AS 350B2, AS 350B3, EC120B, and EC 130
B4 helicopters. This proposed AD was prompted by a short-circuit due to
foreign object debris (FOD) or dust inside the lighting and ancillaries
control unit (LACU). This proposed AD would require repetitively
cleaning and inspecting the affected LACU for FOD. Depending on the
configuration of your helicopter, this proposed AD would also require
modifying the emergency floatation system (EFS) activation switches and
revising the existing rotorcraft flight manual (RFM) for your
helicopter, which would constitute terminating action for the proposed
repetitive cleaning and inspection requirements. Additionally, this
proposed AD would prohibit installing an affected LACU on any
helicopter unless certain requirements are met. The FAA is proposing
this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.
DATES: The FAA must receive comments on this NPRM by April 23, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments, using the procedures found in 14 CFR
11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to regulations.gov. Follow
the instructions for submitting comments.
Fax: (202) 493-2251.
Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket
Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
Hand Delivery: Deliver to Mail address above between 9
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
AD Docket: You may examine the AD docket at regulations.gov under
Docket No. FAA-2026-2292; or in person at Docket Operations between 9
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD
docket contains this NPRM, the mandatory continuing airworthiness
information (MCAI), any comments received, and other information. The
street address for Docket Operations is listed above.
Material Incorporated by Reference:
For European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) material
identified in this proposed AD, contact EASA, Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3,
50668 Cologne, Germany; phone: +49 221 8999 000; email:
[email protected]; website: easa.europa.eu. You may find the EASA
material on the EASA website at ad.easa.europa.eu.
You may view this material at the FAA, Office of the
Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Room 6N-
321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. For information on the availability of this
material at the FAA, call (817) 222-5110. It is also available at
regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA-2026-2292.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deep Gaurav, Aviation Safety Engineer,
FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, NY 11590; phone: (817)
228-3731; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
The FAA invites you to send any written relevant data, views, or
arguments about this proposal. Send your comments to an address listed
under ADDRESSES. Include ``Docket No. FAA-2026-2292; Project Identifier
MCAI-2024-00043-R'' at the beginning of your comments. The most helpful
comments reference a specific portion of the proposal, explain the
reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data. The FAA
will consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend
this proposal because of those comments.
Except for Confidential Business Information (CBI) as described in
the following paragraph, and other information as described in 14 CFR
11.35, the FAA will post all comments received, without change, to
regulations.gov, including any personal information you provide. The
agency will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal
contact received about this NPRM.
Confidential Business Information
CBI is commercial or financial information that is both customarily
and actually treated as private by its owner. Under the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from public
disclosure. If your comments responsive to this NPRM
[[Page 11192]]
contain commercial or financial information that is customarily treated
as private, that you actually treat as private, and that is relevant or
responsive to this NPRM, it is important that you clearly designate the
submitted comments as CBI. Please mark each page of your submission
containing CBI as ``PROPIN.'' The FAA will treat such marked
submissions as confidential under the FOIA, and they will not be placed
in the public docket of this NPRM. Submissions containing CBI should be
sent to Deep Gaurav, Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 1600 Stewart
Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, NY 11590. Any commentary that the FAA
receives which is not specifically designated as CBI will be placed in
the public docket for this rulemaking.
Background
EASA, which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the
European Union, issued EASA AD 2021-0168, dated July 16, 2021 (EASA AD
2021-0168), to correct an unsafe condition on all Airbus Helicopters
Model EC120B helicopters and on Model EC 130 B4, AS 350B2, and AS 350B3
helicopters with certain modifications installed. EASA AD 2021-0168
stated that during a flight on a Model EC 130 B4 helicopter, a ``strong
burnt smell'' and smoke appeared in the cockpit, which activated visual
and aural alarms. An investigation revealed that the root cause of this
occurrence was a short circuit inside the LACU, which was probably
caused by the presence of FOD or dust. EASA AD 2021-0168 further stated
that failure of the LACU, if not detected and corrected, could lead to
the loss of the EFS, resulting in failure of the EFS to activate during
an emergency water landing. Due to the design similarities, EASA AD
2021-0168 stated the unsafe condition can also exist or develop on
Model EC120B helicopters and on certain Model AS 350-series
helicopters. Depending on the configuration of the helicopter, EASA AD
2021-0168 required either a one-time inspection and cleaning of the
affected parts or repetitive inspections and cleaning of the affected
parts and, depending on findings, accomplishment of applicable
corrective actions. EASA AD 2021-0168 also included requirements for
the installation of affected parts.
EASA superseded EASA AD 2021-0168 with EASA AD 2024-0018, dated
January 11, 2024 (EASA AD 2024-0018) (also referred to as ``the
MCAI''), after determining that the unsafe condition can only develop
if the helicopter is equipped with an EFS. Consequently, Airbus
Helicopters developed a modification of the EFS activation buttons to
allow the use of the EFS function even in the event of an LACU failure.
The MCAI partially retains the repetitive cleaning and inspection
requirements in EASA AD 2021-0168 and requires modifying certain
helicopters as terminating action for the cleaning and inspections.
Concurrently with the modification, the MCAI requires revising the
existing RFMS (Rotorcraft Flight Manual Supplement) for the helicopter
to include information and updated procedures that reflect the
modification to the EFS activation buttons.
For further information, you may examine the MCAI in the AD docket
at regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA-2026-2292.
Material Incorporated by Reference Under 1 CFR Part 51
The FAA reviewed EASA AD 2024-0018, which specifies procedures for
cleaning and repetitively inspecting the LACU for FOD. EASA AD 2024-
0018 also specifies procedures for amending the RFMs and modifying the
location of EFS activation switches on certain helicopters, which
constitutes terminating action for the repetitive inspection
requirements. Lastly, EASA AD 2024-0018 prohibits installing certain
EFS and LACUs on any helicopter, unless certain requirements are met.
This material is reasonably available because the interested
parties have access to it through their normal course of business or by
the means identified in the ADDRESSES section.
FAA's Determination
These products have been approved by the civil aviation authority
(CAA) of another country and are approved for operation in the United
States. Pursuant to the FAA's bilateral agreement with this State of
Design Authority, it has notified the FAA of the unsafe condition
described in the MCAI referenced above. The FAA is issuing this NPRM
after determining that the unsafe condition described previously is
likely to exist or develop on other products of the same type design.
Proposed AD Requirements in This NPRM
This proposed AD would require accomplishing the actions specified
in EASA AD 2024-0018, described previously, as incorporated by
reference, except for any differences identified as exceptions in the
regulatory text of this proposed AD. See ``Differences Between this
Proposed AD and the MCAI'' for a general discussion of these
differences.
Differences Between This Proposed AD and the MCAI
EASA AD 2024-0018 requires informing all flight crews of the
revisions to the RFMS and thereafter operating the helicopter
accordingly. However, this AD does not require those actions as those
actions are already required by FAA regulations. FAA regulations
require operators furnish to pilots any changes to the flight manual
(for example, 14 CFR 135.21) and to ensure the pilots are familiar with
the flight manual (for example, 14 CFR 91.505). FAA regulations also
require pilots to follow the procedures in the existing flight manual
including all updates. Therefore, including a requirement in this AD to
inform the flight crew and operate the helicopter according to the
revised RFMS would be redundant and unnecessary.
Explanation of Required Compliance Information
In the FAA's ongoing efforts to improve the efficiency of the AD
process, the FAA developed a process to use some CAA ADs as the primary
source of information for compliance with requirements for
corresponding FAA ADs. The FAA has been coordinating this process with
manufacturers and CAAs. As a result, the FAA proposes to incorporate
EASA AD 2024-0018 by reference in the FAA final rule. This proposed AD
would, therefore, require compliance with EASA 2024-0018 in its
entirety through that incorporation, except for any differences
identified as exceptions in the regulatory text of this proposed AD.
Using common terms that are the same as the heading of a particular
section in EASA AD 2024-0018 does not mean that operators need comply
only with that section. For example, where the AD requirement refers to
``all required actions and compliance times,'' compliance with this AD
requirement is not limited to the section titled ``Required Action(s)
and Compliance Time(s)'' in EASA AD 2024-0018. Material required in
EASA AD 2024-0018 for compliance will be available at
www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2026-
2292 after the FAA final rule is published.
Costs of Compliance
The FAA estimates that this AD, if adopted as proposed, would
affect 576 helicopters of U.S. registry.
The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with this proposed
AD:
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Estimated Costs
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Cost per
Action Labor cost Parts cost product Cost on U.S. operators
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Clean and inspect the LACU.......... 2 work-hours x $85 per $0 $170 $97,920 per inspection
hour = $170 per cycle.
helicopter.
Modification of EFS................. 16 work-hours x $85 per 0 1,360 $783,360.
hour = 1,360.
Revise RFM.......................... 1 work-hour x $85 per 0 85 $48,960.
hour = $85.
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Authority for This Rulemaking
Title 49 of the United States Code specifies the FAA's authority to
issue rules on aviation safety. Subtitle I, section 106, describes the
authority of the FAA Administrator. Subtitle VII: Aviation Programs,
describes in more detail the scope of the Agency's authority.
The FAA is issuing this rulemaking under the authority described in
Subtitle VII, Part A, Subpart III, Section 44701: General requirements.
Under that section, Congress charges the FAA with promoting safe flight
of civil aircraft in air commerce by prescribing regulations for
practices, methods, and procedures the Administrator finds necessary
for safety in air commerce. This regulation is within the scope of that
authority because it addresses an unsafe condition that is likely to
exist or develop on products identified in this rulemaking action.
Regulatory Findings
The FAA determined that this proposed AD would not have federalism
implications under Executive Order 13132. This proposed AD would not
have a substantial direct effect on the States, on the relationship
between the national government and the States, or on the distribution
of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government.
For the reasons discussed above, I certify this proposed
regulation:
(1) Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' under Executive
Order 12866,
(2) Would not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska, and
(3) Would not have a significant economic impact, positive or
negative, on a substantial number of small entities under the criteria
of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39
Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation safety, Incorporation by
reference, Safety.
The Proposed Amendment
Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the
Administrator, the FAA proposes to amend 14 CFR part 39 as follows:
PART 39--AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES
0
1. The authority citation for part 39 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701.
Sec. 39.13 [Amended]
0
2. The FAA amends Sec. 39.13 by adding the following new airworthiness
directive:
Airbus Helicopters: Docket No. FAA-2026-2292; Project Identifier
MCAI-2024-00043-R.
(a) Comments Due Date
The FAA must receive comments on this airworthiness directive
(AD) by April 23, 2026.
(b) Affected ADs
None.
(c) Applicability
This AD applies to all Airbus Helicopters Model AS 350B2, AS
350B3, EC120B, and EC 130 B4 helicopters, certificated in any
category.
(d) Subject
Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC) Code 3100, Indication/
Recording System.
(e) Unsafe Condition
This AD was prompted by a short-circuit due to foreign object
debris or dust inside the lighting and ancillaries control unit
(LACU) in a Model EC 130 B4 helicopter. The FAA is issuing this AD
to prevent this malfunction. This unsafe condition, if not detected
and addressed, could lead to loss of the emergency floatation system
(EFS) and result in failure of the EFS to activate during an
emergency water landing.
(f) Compliance
Comply with this AD within the compliance times specified,
unless already done.
(g) Requirements
Except as specified in paragraphs (h) and (i) of this AD: Comply
with all required actions and compliance times specified in, and in
accordance with, European Union Aviation Safety Agency AD 2024-0018,
dated January 11, 2024 (EASA AD 2024-0018).
(h) Exceptions to EASA AD 2024-0018
(1) Where EASA AD 2024-0018 requires compliance in terms of
flight hours, this AD requires using hours time-in-service.
(2) Where EASA AD 2024-0018 refers to its effective date and to
July 30, 2021 (the effective date of EASA AD 2021-0168, dated June
16, 2021), this AD requires using the effective date of this AD.
(3) This AD requires that paragraph (2) of EASA AD 2024-0018
apply only to Group 1 helicopters as defined in EASA AD 2024-0018.
(4) This AD does not adopt paragraph (3) of EASA AD 2024-0018.
Instead, this AD requires that, during any inspection required by
paragraph (1) or (2) of EASA AD 2024-0018, if foreign object debris
or dust is found, you must clean the printed circuit board of the
control panel. After the modification required by paragraph (4) of
EASA AD 2024-0018, the helicopter is a Group 2 helicopter.
(5) Where paragraph (5) of EASA AD 2024-0018 specifies to inform
all flight crews and thereafter operate the helicopter accordingly,
this AD does not require those actions as those actions are already
required by existing FAA operating regulations (see 14 CFR 91.505
and 14 CFR 135.21).
(6) Where the material referenced in EASA AD 2024-0018 specifies
to discard parts, this AD requires removing these parts from
service.
(7) Where the material referenced in EASA AD 2024-0018 specifies
ensuring the applicable rotorcraft flight manual (RFM) is at the
latest update, this AD only requires revising your RFM to the
revision specified in the material and not to later revisions
(updates).
(8) This AD does not adopt paragraph (7.2) of EASA AD 2024-0018.
(9) This AD does not adopt the ``Remarks'' section of EASA AD
2024-0018.
(i) No Reporting Requirement
Although the material referenced in EASA AD 2024-0018 specifies
to submit information to the manufacturer, this AD does not require
that action.
(j) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)
(1) The Manager, International Validation Branch, FAA, has the
authority to approve AMOCs for this AD, if requested using the
procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. In accordance with 14 CFR 39.19,
send your request to your principal inspector or local Flight
Standards District Office, as appropriate. If sending information
directly to the manager of the International Validation Branch, send
it to the attention of the person identified in paragraph (k) of
this AD and email to: [email protected].
(2) Before using any approved AMOC, notify your appropriate
principal inspector, or lacking a principal inspector, the manager
of the local flight standards district office/certificate holding
district office.
[[Page 11194]]
(k) Additional Information
For more information about this AD, contact Deep Gaurav,
Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410,
Westbury, NY 11590; phone: (817) 228-3731; email:
[email protected].
(l) Material Incorporated by Reference
(1) The Director of the Federal Register approved the
incorporation by reference of the material listed in this paragraph
under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51.
(2) You must use this material as applicable to do the actions
required by this AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise.
(i) European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 2024-0018,
dated January 11, 2024.
(ii) [Reserved]
(3) For EASA material identified in this AD, contact EASA,
Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 Cologne, Germany; phone: +49 221 8999
000; email: [email protected]; website: easa.europa.eu. You may
find the EASA material on the EASA website at ad.easa.europa.eu.
(4) You may view this material at the FAA, Office of the
Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Room 6N-
321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. For information on the availability of
this material at the FAA, call (817) 222-5110.
(5) You may view this material at the National Archives and
Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability
of this material at NARA, visit www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations or email [email protected].
Issued on March 4, 2026.
Steven W. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Compliance & Airworthiness Division, Aircraft
Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-04526 Filed 3-6-26; 8:45 am]
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